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How I Work

How I Work

By: Amantha Imber
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You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.

2025 Amantha Imber Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • Ask Me Anything: How I use AI in real life (plus the tech I rely on to work smarter)

    Ask Me Anything: How I use AI in real life (plus the tech I rely on to work smarter)
    Nov 26 2025
    **Record a question for Amantha’s next Ask Me Anything here: https://www.speakpipe.com/howiwork ** I talk about AI a lot - but if you’ve ever wondered how I actually use it in my own work, not just to experiment but to genuinely save time and think better, this episode is for you. In this Ask Me Anything episode I’m sharing the exact ways I use AI to research faster, write smarter, and stay organised - along with the simple rituals and tech tools that help me cut through distraction and get things done with more focus and flow - plus a sneak peek into my next book, The Energy Game, coming in July 2026. In this episode, I share: How I use AI every day for research, writing, and personal decisions My favourite AI tools - and how each one helps me save time Weekly and daily rituals for managing tasks and priorities How to minimise context switching when juggling multiple roles Building psychological safety through trust and vulnerability My favourite tech tools for meetings, focus, and idea capture An update on my upcoming book The Energy Game Amantha recommends: These are the AI tools I rely on every week - from research to writing and everything in between. Consensus App: https://consensus.app - My go-to AI tool for sourcing and summarising academic research. Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai - Great for quick, high-quality overviews when I’m deep in research mode. Notion: https://www.notion.com - My digital home for ideas, projects, and deep work tracking. If you struggle to stay focused across competing roles, these tools help protect your attention. Freedom app: https://freedom.to - Blocks distracting websites and apps across all devices. Forest app: https://www.forestapp.cc - Keeps me off my phone while I’m doing deep work (and grows a tree while I focus). OneSec app: https://one-sec.app - Prompts a mindful pause before opening apps like Instagram. These are the tools that make my workday smoother and help me capture ideas fast. Wispr Flow: https://wisprflow.ai - Converts speech to text instantly. Perfect for emails, notes, and writing without typing. Granola: https://www.granola.ai - A seamless way to capture meeting notes without awkward recording bots. Snipd: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/howiwork - My go-to podcast app for saving and summarising the best bits from what I listen to. How I Work conversations that dive deeper into today’s themes: Elan Lee interview: The counterintuitive brainstorming rule that made Exploding Kittens a global hit Aly Solly interview (Part 1): Inside the hardest year at Inventium (Part 1) Aly Solly interview (Part 2): Inside the hardest year at Inventium (Part 2) If you’re ready to seriously up your AI game, check out Inventium’s latest AI programs for 2026 - designed to help you use AI strategically and creatively in your work. https://www.inventium.ai/ Have a question you want me to answer in the next AMA episode? Reach out via email (amantha@inventium.com.au) or socials – I’d love to hear from you! My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au Credits: Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin Imber See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    29 mins
  • Quick Win: Why your “default behaviour” isn’t actually yours — and how to change it

    Quick Win: Why your “default behaviour” isn’t actually yours — and how to change it
    Nov 23 2025

    What if the way you argue with your partner or push yourself at work isn’t actually yours - but something you absorbed decades ago?

    In this Quick Win, I’m joined by educator and author Lael Stone, who explains how the stories we inherit in childhood silently shape our beliefs about relationships, money, and success. Lael calls these “imprints” - and once you start recognising them, you can finally begin to choose your own patterns instead of replaying old ones.

    Lael and I discuss:

    • What “imprints” are and how they form through family dynamics.
    • The surprising ways childhood beliefs can dictate our career choices and relationships.
    • Why understanding our imprints helps us break unconscious habits.
    • How to recognise when fear or loyalty to family stories is keeping us stuck.
    • The freeing realisation that changing your story isn’t disloyal—it’s growth.

    KEY QUOTE

    “A lot of the imprints we have are deeply unconscious. We don’t even know they’re there.”

    Connect with Lael Stone on Instagram, LinkedIn and her website, and check out her latest book Own Your Story.

    Listen to the full conversation with Lael here.

    My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

    Connect with me on the socials:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanthai

    If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

    Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

    Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

    Credits:

    Host: Amantha Imber

    Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • The counterintuitive brainstorming rule that made Exploding Kittens a global hit.

    The counterintuitive brainstorming rule that made Exploding Kittens a global hit.
    Nov 19 2025

    How do you lead a team that kills thousands of ideas - and still keep everyone excited to create again the next day?

    That’s business as usual for Elan Lee, co-creator and now CEO of Exploding Kittens. You might not know his name, but there’s a good chance you’ve played one of his games.

    Exploding Kittens became one of the most backed Kickstarter campaigns in history - raising nearly $9 million from over 200,000 backers in just 30 days - and has since sold more than 60 million games worldwide.

    In this episode, Elan and I dive into how he’s built a creative culture that thrives on iteration and honesty. He shares the psychology behind turning casual players into superfans, why creative constraints beat blue-sky brainstorming every time, and how his team’s “no, kill it” rule turned chaos into innovation.

    Elan and I discuss:

    • How Exploding Kittens became one of Kickstarter’s biggest success stories
    • The psychology behind turning casual players into superfans
    • Why creative constraints spark better ideas than “blue-sky” brainstorming
    • How Elan runs design retreats that generate thousands of ideas in days
    • The “no, kill it” rule that keeps creativity high and egos low
    • Balancing creativity with commercial success - knowing when to walk away
    • How a single question - “Do you want to play again?” - determines when a game is done

    KEY QUOTES

    “Games shouldn’t be entertaining - they should make the people playing them entertaining.”

    “Every great idea starts out terrible. You just have to give it room to evolve.”

    “We don’t use ‘yes, and…’. We use ‘no, kill it,’ because we know we can generate a thousand more ideas.”

    Explore Elan’s games at explodingkittens.com and connect with him on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.

    My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

    Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

    Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

    If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

    Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

    Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

    Credits:

    Host: Amantha Imber

    Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
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